Salmos 55

VBL · Chapter 55/150

1Para el director del coro. Con instrumentos de cuerda. Un salmo (masquil) de David. ¡Escucha, oh Dios, mi oración; no ignores mi clamor de ayuda!

2Por favor escúchame, y dame una respuesta. ¡Estoy atribulado por todos mis problemas!

3Porque mis enemigos me gritan; los malvados me intimidan. Ellos hacen llover sufrimientos sobre mí, con furia me asaltan en su odio.

4¡Mi corazón late en agonía! Estoy aterrorizado, ¡Siento que voy a morir!

5Estoy en pánico, temblando con miedo; sentimientos de horror me inundan.

6Me digo a mí mismo: “¡Si tan solo Dios me diera alas como una paloma para que pudiera volar lejos y estar en paz!

7Volaría muy lejos para escapar, y me quedaría en el desierto. Selah.

8Correría a un lugar para esconderme, lejos del viento, a salvo de la tormenta furiosa”.

9¡Confúndelos, Señor! cambia lo que están diciendo, porque veo violencia y conflictos en la ciudad.

10Ellos patrullan los muros de la ciudad de día y de noche, pero los problemas y la maldad están adentro.

11Los que causan la destrucción están dentro de la ciudad; los fraudes y los engaños merodean en las calles.

12El problema es que no es un enemigo el que se burla de mí. Eso hasta podría soportarlo. Pero quien me insulta no es alguien que me odia. Si no, podría evitarlos.

13No, eres tú, un hombre igual a mí, ¡Mi mejor amigo, a quien conozco tan bien!

14Nuestra amistad era muy cercana. Solíamos tener grandes pláticas juntos mientras caminábamos con los demás hacia la casa del Señor.

15Que la muerte venga rápido sobre ellos; que bajen a la tumba con vida, porque los malvados encuentran ahí su hogar.

16Mientras tanto yo, clamaré al Señor, y él me salvará.

17Lloré y gemí día, tarde y noche, y él me escuchó.

18Me rescató, manteniéndome a salvo de mis atacantes, porque hay muchos en mi contra.

19Dios, quien ha gobernado desde el principio me oirá y les responderá. Selah. Porque ellos se rehúsan a cambiar y no respetan a Dios.

20Mientras que mi mejor amigo, atacó a sus amigos que no tenían ninguna pelea con él, rompió las promesas que les había hecho.

21Lo que dice es tan suave como la mantequilla, pero por dentro él solo planea guerra; sus palabras son tan calmantes como el aceite, pero cortan como espadas afiladas.

22Arroja tus cargas sobre el Señor y él te cuidará. Él no permitirá que aquellos que viven con rectitud caigan.

23Pero tú, Dios, derribarás a los asesinos y a los mentirosos, arrojándolos al pozo de la destrucción antes de que hayan vivido la mitad de sus vidas. Y yo, confiaré en ti.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

David laments deeply being betrayed not by a declared enemy, but by a close friend with whom he had fellowship in the house of God, longing for the wings of a dove to flee, but ultimately casts his burden upon the Lord.

Explanation

This psalm describes one of the most specific pains of human experience: betrayal by someone close, not by a stranger ('it was not an enemy... but it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance,' v. 12-13). Many scholars connect this lament to the betrayal of Ahithophel, David's trusted counselor who joined Absalom's rebellion (2 Samuel 15-17). The image of longing for 'the wings of a dove' to fly away captures a universal desire to escape painful conflict, but the psalm does not end in flight: it ends in surrender ('cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee,' v. 22), a verse quoted almost word for word in 1 Peter 5:7.

Fun facts

  • Verse 22 ('cast thy burden upon the LORD') is echoed almost word for word in 1 Peter 5:7 ('casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you'), showing this psalm's direct influence on the apostle Peter's exhortation.
  • The betrayal by a 'close friend' described here is often associated by scholars with the counselor Ahithophel, who betrayed David in Absalom's rebellion and later took his own life (2 Samuel 17:23) — a story that parallels that of Judas Iscariot in the New Testament.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Salmos 55:1"Hide not thyself" reveals the fear behind the request: David worries that God, as it sometimes seems to happen, might simply not answer — so he insists that his plea not be ignored.
  2. Salmos 55:2"Make a noise" describes a loud, unrestrained lament, groans and complaints spoken aloud, not a calm, organized prayer — David's anguish overflows into sound.
  3. Salmos 55:3It explains where all this distress comes from: not some vague unease, but the hostile clamor and oppression of real enemies who heap wickedness on David and hate him with rage.
  4. Salmos 55:4"The terrors of death are fallen upon me" treats fear as a weight that suddenly crashes down on a person, a sudden onset of dread in the face of a real possibility of death.
  5. Salmos 55:5"Horror hath overwhelmed me" treats dread as something that wraps around the whole body, like a cloak — the sensation of being completely seized by fear, with no part left untouched.
  6. Salmos 55:6"Wings like a dove" is the poetic image of someone wanting to flee an immediate danger. Doves were common birds, known for flying quickly away from danger, which is why they became a symbol of desperate escape.
  7. Salmos 55:7It continues the wish to flee like a dove from the previous verse: the wilderness, empty and far from people, becomes the ideal refuge from danger. "Selah" appears again, a musical term whose exact meaning scholars still debate.
  8. Salmos 55:8It compares the danger surrounding him to a storm: David wants to escape before the fury of the wind and rain overtake him, reinforcing the urgency to flee at once, without delay.
  9. Salmos 55:9"Divide their tongues" recalls the confusion of languages at Babel: David asks God to disrupt the conspirators' communication, so they cannot act together against him.
  10. Salmos 55:10The city appears surrounded day and night, but not by an enemy army from outside: what patrols it is the wickedness and violence that have taken hold of it from within.
  11. Salmos 55:11It describes the corruption spread through the city as something public, visible right in its streets — deceit and violence aren't a hidden exception, but part of everyday life there.
  12. Salmos 55:12David explains why the betrayal hurts so much: a declared enemy he could bear and even avoid. This blow comes from someone he would never have suspected, which makes protecting himself impossible.
  13. Salmos 55:13David laments having been betrayed not by a declared enemy, but by "mine equal... my guide, and mine acquaintance," someone from inside his own circle of trust. This verse is traditionally linked to the betrayal of Ahithophel, David's counselor who joined Absalom's revolt (2 Samuel 15-17).
  14. Salmos 55:14It recalls their days of friendship: they used to talk together intimately and walk together to the temple, among the crowd of worshippers — a detail that makes the betrayal even more painful, since it touches even their shared religious life.
  15. Salmos 55:15"Let them go down quick into hell" is an imprecation, a direct plea for harm against enemies, a common genre in the psalms of lament. "Hell" here translates Sheol, the Hebrew word for the world of the dead, without the idea of eternal fire the word later took on; the request is that death reach the traitors while they are still standing.
  16. Salmos 55:16It marks the turning point of the psalm: after describing the despair and the betrayal, David again affirms that he will call on God, recovering his confidence even though the situation hasn't changed yet.
  17. Salmos 55:17Praying in the morning, at noon, and in the evening reflects an ancient Jewish custom of praying three times a day, the same practice cited later in the book of Daniel (6:10).
  18. Salmos 55:18David speaks of his deliverance in the past tense, as though it had already happened, even while still in danger — a statement of faith that anticipates God's answer before it even arrives.
  19. Salmos 55:19"They have no changes" describes wicked people who never face consequences, and so have lost all fear of God — the stability of their lives became a reason for arrogance, not gratitude.
  20. Salmos 55:20"He hath broken his covenant" points to the betrayal of a pact or pledge of loyalty — attacking someone who had lived at peace with you was seen as a grave breaking of one's word.
  21. Salmos 55:21It describes someone who speaks sweetly but conceals hostility. The image of oil, smooth and slippery, set against "drawn swords," cutting, marks the contrast between speech and real intent.
  22. Salmos 55:22"Cast thy burden upon the Lord" is the image of handing over to God a weight too heavy to carry alone — the same idea reappears in 1 Peter 5:7, urging believers to cast all their anxiety upon God.
  23. Salmos 55:23"The pit of destruction" is an image for death or total ruin. Saying that violent men "shall not live out half their days" reflects the ancient belief that a wicked life would be cut short too soon.

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